Wireless communication in vehicles

ABSTRACT

In a device for communication on a communication path between control elements ( 18, 20, 22, 24 ) which are actuated by a driver of a vehicle and emit control signals and devices ( 4, 8 ) of the vehicle which receive control signals and convert the control signals into reactions in or on the devices, the control signals are transmitted from the control elements ( 18, 20, 22, 24 ) and to the devices ( 4, 8 ) in wireless manner at least on sections of the communication path.

This application is a national stage completion of PCT/EP03/02586 filedMar. 13, 2003 which claims priority from German Application Ser. No. 10212 039.0 filed Mar. 19, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a device and method for wireless communicationof devices in a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic transmissions of the driver'sactivities, which trigger certain responses, have been and will bereplaced for many functions in the vehicle by electric lines combinedwith electronically controlled units which are located somewhere in thevehicle “on-site” and carry out the responses. In the technical world,this development is described under the expression “x by wire”. Asexample for this, let it be mentioned that the E-gas function or theelectronic Diesel injection designated as “drive by wire”, thesubstitution of mechanical linkages between a switch lever and thevehicle transmission designated as “shift by wire” or the possibility ofelectronically controlling decelerating devices of the vehicle for whichthe designation “brake by wire” has prevailed. Mutual communicationsbetween separate devices in the vehicle or, for example, with a centralvehicle master, are chiefly affected via a bus line, the CAN bus havingalready found wide circulation.

Together with the potentialities of functional improvement by uncouplingof the driver's actions and the response of the corresponding device inthe vehicle, one other important reason for the development is the spacesaving, the higher freedom of shapes in the design of the devices andthe location thereof and possible improvements of the economics.Electric cables are by nature smaller, lighter, more flexible and, atpresent, also mostly cheaper than corresponding mechanical, hydraulic orpneumatic transmission devices. However, for these electric lines,cables and plugs are needed which demand space and also certainrequirements as to relocation and protection from environmentalinfluences.

DE 43 34 595 C1 has disclosed a control for a motor vehicle which viaCAN bus transmits the driver's actions to a transmission control and amotor control. The communication between the driver's actions and theresponses of the devices in the vehicle such as transmission or motortakes place here by cable.

The problem on which the invention is based is to show, for thecommunication between the input of driver's actions and the response ofvehicle devices, a possibility of communication.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For many transmission lines in any case when signals and not outputs areto be transmitted, an optimal solution is represented by wirelesscommunication of information between a transmitter device, operated bythe driver and an electronic control unit which controls the desiredaction. For this purpose is proposed a device for communication on acommunication path between control elements which are actuated by adriver of a vehicle and emit control signals and devices of the vehiclewhich receive control signals and convert the control signals toresponses in or on the drives, the transmission of the control signalsfrom the control elements and to the device taking place in wirelessmanner at least in sections of the communication path.

In an advantageous development, conversion devices are provided in thecontrol elements which, according to a transmission log book, controlsignals formed from the actions of the driver into control signalstransmissible in a wireless manner. In controlled devices of the vehicleconversion devices are, in turn, provided which are suitable forconverting according to the transmission log book control signalsreceived which have been transmitted in wireless manner to signals towhich the devices respond. Another development provides a directwireless transmission of the control signals between the controlelements and the responding devices on the whole communication path. Inone other embodiment, there is provided, upon a first section of thecommunication path, a wireless transmission of the control signalsbetween the control elements and one interpolated electronic controldevice adequate for further processing the control signals according toprescribed computation rules and relaying control signals on a secondsection of the communication path to responding devices of the vehicle.In one development, the second section of the communication path isdesigned as wireless transmission path, in another development thesecond section of the communication path is designed as cable path andin still another development the second section of the communicationpath is designed as bus system, particularly as CAN bus system.Advantageous embodiments of the invention show the controlled andresponding device of the vehicle as one transmission control, in onespecial development as transmission control of an automatic or automatedtransmission. Finally in one development, the interpolated controldevice is designed as central vehicle computer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with referenceto the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows a device for wireless communication in a vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows one motor 2 controlled by one motor control 4. Onetransmission 6 is controlled by a transmission control 8. With 10 isdesignated a central vehicle computer. By signal lines 12, 14, 16, oneselector lever 18, one kick-down switch 20 and one drive programselector switch 22 are attached to one control device 24. By saidoperating elements the driver inputs his commands and wishes such as thedrive steps P, R, N, S, 1 and 2, via the selector lever 18, the need ofstronger acceleration via the kick-down switch 20 and the selectionbetween an economy and a sport driving program via the drive programselector switch 22. To the motor control 4, the transmission control 8,the central vehicle computer 10 and the control device 24 arerespectively attached antennae 26, 28, 30 and 32. According to a commontransmission log book, signals are generated in the control device 24which are either transmitted directly to the motor control 4 and thetransmission control 8 or are conveyed via the central vehicle computer10 where the control signals can be again worked up for which purposethey have been electronically processed according to specificcomputation rules. The motor control 4 can also be connected via a cableline 34 (here shown in dotted lines) with the central vehicle computer10 whereby the whole transmission path of the communication between thecontrol device 24 and the motor control 4 is split in two parts, onefirst part in which the communication is in wireless manner and, onesecond part in which the communication takes place via the cable line 34or a CAN bus.

For example, now if the driver actuates the kick-down switch 20, thereresults a worked up signal relay to the transmission control 8 whichoptionally produces a change of the reduction ratio.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   2 motor-   4 motor control-   6 transmission-   8 transmission control-   10 vehicle computer-   12 signal line-   14 signal line-   16 signal line-   18 selector lever-   20 kick-down switch-   22 drive program selector switch-   24 control device-   26 antenna-   28 antenna-   30 antenna-   32 antenna-   34 cable line

1. A communication device for communication along a communication pathbetween control elements (18, 20, 22, 24), which are actuated by adriver of a vehicle and emit control signals, and controlled devices (4,8) of the vehicle which receive the control signals and convert thecontrol signals to responses in or on the controlled devices; whereinthe control signals are transmitted in a wireless manner from thecontrol elements (18, 20, 22, 24) to the controlled devices (4, 8) atleast along a portion of the communication path, and one controlleddevice of the vehicle is the transmission control (8) for one of anautomatic and automated transmission (6); and the communication pathcomprises a first portion and a second portion, and the first portion ofthe communication path is a wireless transmission between the controlelements (18, 20, 22, 24) and an interpolated electronic control device(10) which controls further processing of the control signals accordingto prescribed computation rules and, during the second portion of thecommunication path, relays the control signals to at least thetransmission control (4, 8).
 2. The communication device according toclaim 1, wherein the second portion of the communication path is awireless transmission path.
 3. The communication device according toclaim 1, wherein the second portion of the communication path is a cablepath (34).
 4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein thesecond portion of the communication path is a bus system.
 5. Thecommunication device according to claim 1, wherein the interpolatedelectronic control device is a central vehicle computer (10).
 6. Thecommunication device according to claim 1, wherein the second portion ofthe communication path is a CAN bus system.
 7. A communication devicefor communicating over a communication path, the communication devicecomprising: a plurality of vehicle control elements (18, 20, 22, 24)which are actuated by a driver of a vehicle and emit control signals forcontrolling operation of the vehicle; a plurality of controlled devices(4, 8) of the vehicle which receive the control signals from theplurality of control elements (18, 20, 22, 24) and convert the controlsignals to control operation of the vehicle, the control signals beingtransmitted in a wireless manner from at least one of the plurality ofcontrol elements (18, 20, 22, 24) to at least one of the plurality ofcontrolled devices (4, 8) along the communication path, and at least oneof the plurality of controlled devices (4, 8) is a motor control (4) andat least one of the plurality of devices (4, 8) is a transmissioncontrol (8) for one of an automatic and an automated transmission (6);and the communication path comprises a first portion and a secondportion, and the first portion of the communication path is a wirelesstransmission between the control elements (18, 20, 22, 24) and aninterpolated electronic control device (10) which controls furtherprocessing of the control signals according to prescribed computationrules and, during the second portion of the communication path, relaysthe control signals to at least the transmission control (4, 8).
 8. Thecommunication device according to claim 7, wherein the second portion ofthe communication path is a wireless transmission path.
 9. Thecommunication device according to claim 7, wherein the second portion ofthe communication path is a cable path (34).
 10. The communicationdevice according to claim 7, wherein the second portion of thecommunication path is a bus system.
 11. The communication deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein the interpolated electronic control deviceis a central vehicle computer (10).
 12. The communication deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein the second portion of the communicationpath is a CAN bus system.